Buick Y-Job

The Buick Y-Job was a convertible car developed by American manufacturer Buick in 1938. It was the auto industry's first concept car,^[3] a model intended to show new technology or designs but not be mass-produced for sale to consumers.^[4] Designed by Harley J. Earl, the car had power-operated hidden headlamps, a "gunsight" hood ornament, electric windows,^[5] wraparound bumpers, flush door handles, and prefigured styling cues used by Buick until the 1950s and the vertical waterfall grille design still used by Buick today.^{[until when?]} It used a Buick Super chassis, indicated by the word "Super" located above the rear license plate.

Buick Y-Job
Harley Earl in the Buick Y-Job, 1939
Overview
Manufacturer	Buick (General Motors)
Model years	1938
Designer	Harley J. Earl
Body and chassis
Class	Concept car
Body style	2-door convertible coupe
Powertrain
Engine	5.2-liter (320 ci) Buick straight-8
Dimensions
Wheelbase	126 in (3,200 mm) [1]
Length	208.7 in (5,301 mm) [2]

The car was driven for a number of years by Harley Earl, until he replaced it with a 1951 model car. Sometime after that, the car was restored at the Henry Ford Museum, until 1993 when it was returned to the GM Design Center.^[6]

The "Y" in the name has two explanations:

• All experimental cars were called "X", so Earl simply went to the next letter in the alphabet.^[7]
• The "Y" designation was selected by Earl because it was used extensively in the aviation industry denoting the most advanced prototypes.^[5]

In 2001, Buick recreated the Y-Job with modern advancements called the Buick Blackhawk drawing extensively from the Y-Job.

Specifications

According to the GM Heritage Center, specifications for the 1938 model were:^[8]

Engine: 320 c.i. Inline Eight

Horsepower: 141 @ 3600rpm

Transmission: 3 speed manual

Steering: Bendix power steering unit

Measurements: 208in in length and 74in

Other: Electronically controlled windows and convertible top

Gallery

• 
  Front view
• 
  Rear view
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  Interior
• 
  License plate